A Christmas Witch, The Whipping Father, a child-eating scarecrow, and a Troll named Meat Hook....

It is fascinating how many different traditions and customs Christmas symbolizes around the world.  I found a few that I have to share.


I did not really think people still went Christmas caroling but if you find yourself in Glamorgan, Wales, be weary of those songsters at your door.  You might just find those roaming performers have brought along a Mari Lwyd (a horse skull on a stick with a person hiding under a cover) with them to try to argue their way through song to get inside your house and take your food and gifts. 

If you are in Eastern Europe, you may find the two-faced Frau Perchta (Christmas Witch).

Apparently, she has a nice face for the nice children and a scary face for the bad children. She also comes into the homes of the good children and leaves a piece of silver in their shoe.

Norway also has a Christmas Witch.  The Norwegian Witch comes out on Christmas Eve to steal brooms just to go for a ride.

Guess you probably want to hide your broom if you are in Norway on Christmas Eve.

If you find yourself in Finland on Christmas Eve, head on over to a cemetery.  Finns go to the cemeteries to light candles at the graves of their loved ones who have passed away.


In the Alsace region of France, tales of a cold-blooded, rich, old man named Hans Trapp will give you a freight.

This devil-worshiping dude was excommunicated and lived in a forest.
Story has it he became a cannibal and would venture out of the forest on Christmas dressed as a scarecrow for the purpose of kidnapping all the bad children so he could eat them.

That's pretty frightening!  I am guessing there are some pretty well-behaved kids in Alsace, France.

People in South Africa have a full proof way to make kids stop eating Santa's cookies. Parents simply remind their kids about the story of Danny.  He was caught by his grandmother eating Santa's cookies so she killed him.  Makes perfect sense to me.  So now the ghost of Danny haunts all the kids who eat Santa's cookies.

In Iceland, Santa brings along 13 badass trolls when he visits.  Their gang name is The Yule Lads, and they have names like Pot-Scraper, Bowl-Licker, and Meat Hook.
They steal food, slam doors, destroy property, and kidnap the bad kids to bring to their mother, Gryla, who is said to be a large, hoofed troll/ogre female with terrifying horns and covered in warts.

And The Yule Lad gang also have a monstrous cat that goes by the name Jolakotturinn.


Fingers crossed that you will receive clothing of some type for Christmas because if you do not, Jolakotturinn with devour you.




I think I will be staying away from Iceland around the Christmas holidays.





And finally if those stories were not odd/scary enough; Le Pere Fouettard a.k.a. The Whipping Father should do the trick.

This dude hangs out with Santa everywhere he goes.


He basically whips all the children who have not been good.


If you are going for that obligatory mall photo with Santa, you can almost count on someone dressed as Le Pere Fouettard right beside him threatening children to be good.


On that note, Joyeux Noël! Et à tous une bonne nuit!

Good thing the girls are young.....

Trying to wrap my brain around this and do the math.
African Grey Parrots can live for 40 to 60 years.

This guy is cray-cray.......

Don't let this sweet face fool you......

An African Grey Parrot literally acts like a 5-year-old 24/7!

The result...

When your African Grey Parrot won't stop making fire alarm noises in the building.

You might have an African Grey Parrot when....

You are all watching Supernatural in the living room and two rooms away you hear the whistle from Hunger Games and a nonexistent phone ringing...

~

Meet Arrow, African Grey Parrot......

Tropical tubers.......

I'm not talking about YouTubers.  I'm talking tapioca.  Tapioca is the starch extracted from the Cassava plant.  This is a highly toxic plant and can be fatal for humans and animals if not prepared properly and yet half a billion people around the world still use this super starchy, poisonous tuber and foods containing it.

Tapioca a.k.a. Cassava plant, manioca, mandioca, Brazilian arrowroot, and yuca dates back 12,000 years to South America while today, Thailand is the highest importer of Cassava and Nigeria is the greatest manufacturer.

Tapioca can be made into chips, ground into flour, baked into crackers and breads, and grated.  While tapioca is gluten-free, it is also heavy in calories.  The process to form the Cassava pearls that you see in the US is an extremely important process.  The moistened starch has to be pressed through a sieve, either small or large depending what the finished result will be used for.  The most important goal is to properly treat the plant to avoid cyanide poising but in reality only between 80% to 95% cyanide loss occurs even under the best circumstances.

Cyanide poising (linamarin and lotaustralin) can occur with improperly treated Cassava plants.  Rapid pulse, rapid respiration, dizziness, headaches, vomiting, convulsions, confusion, thyroid problems, neurological problems, pain, and diarrhea are all symptoms of cyanide poisoning.  This is a cheap source of starch and carbohydrates but I'm not sure the risk/benefit ratio is worth eating it.

Back in 2010, a total of 27 children died and more than 100 children became ill after eating Cassava at a Philippine school.  You can read about that here.  The Japanese Ministry of Health prohibits the use of Cassava plant in any form for human consumption.  There have also been recalls on many food items containing Cassava plant (tapioca) all over the world, as well as illnesses and deaths.

The proof is in the pudding.  Here are a few tips to hopefully help you avoid eating toxic Cassava if you prepare it yourself.  You will have to take your chances if it is an included ingredient in foods you are buying.  Always check the labels on your food.  Prolonged soaking, boiling, peeling, grating, and then sun drying are all necessary to encourage fermentation.  The smaller the piece, the better.  Many nutritionist and dietitian do not recommend Cassava-containing foods.

Mystical Mauritius......

I frequently check my stats for this blog to see where my readers are, and there are many fascinating places that I have never even heard of reading my blog but when I see specific places with increasing viewers, I like to find out about the place and do a blog post for educate others on their amazing lands.

This time, it is Mauritius.  Thank you for checking in with my blog, and if any of this is incorrect, shoot me a comment, and I will fix it.

~Judging the pictures that I have seen, Mauritius is one beautiful place without a doubt so there is no wonder why it is one of the most visited place on earth!

~You can find this spectacular volcanic island in the Indian Ocean on the continent of Africa (near South Africa).

~Comprised of mountainous, river gorges, national parks, waterfalls, rainforests, and a vast population of plants and animals.

~The capital (and largest city) is Port Louis.  Around 40% of the population lives in Port Louis.

~The currency is the Mauritian rupee.

~Approximately 1.3 million people call Mauritius home and one million tourist visit Mauritius each year.


~Life expectancy is around 73 years.

~Underwater volcanic eruptions are responsible for creating the island of Mauritius.


~The Portuguese were the first people on Mauritius.

~On March 12, 1968, Mauritius gained independence.  Previously ruled by the Portuguese, the French, and the Brits.

~Sugarcane is their top money earning product.

~Mauritius has no army.

~The most visited area is the Seven Colored Earths in Chamarel.  This sand dune is comprised of seven different colors:  Yellow, brown, red, violet, blue, green, and purple.

~Mauritius is a democracy and every five years, a new government is elected.

~87% of the Mauritians speak the primary language which is Creole.  They also speak Bhojpuri, French, and English.

~An interesting note is that some of the laws are written in French while the constitution is written in English.

~This African country has the highest Hindu majority.

~Mauritius is surrounded by volcanic islands.

~The Dodo bird is the national animal even though it is now extinct.  The Dodo bird has been extinct for centuries but when they were alive, they were found in no other place in the world except for Mauritius.

The Dodo was a large pigeon-type bird which lived in Mauritius around 4 million years ago.  The Dodo bird had no predators so they lost their ability and need to fly.  They weighed up to 50 pounds.  Portuguese sailors used the Dodo birds for meat.

Portuguese sailors also brought pigs, monkeys, and rats to the island who subsequently ate the Dodo bird's eggs (which were on the ground) so within 100 years of human arrival to Mauritius, the Dodo birds became extinct with the last one being killed in 1681.  The Dodo bird has a place on the national Coat of Arms for Mauritius.

~Rumor has it that Lewis Carroll wrote Alice in Wonderland (1865) because he was inspired by the Dodo bird.

~The flag is comprised of four bands which are red for bloodshed, blue for the Indian Ocean, yellow for the new light of independence, and green for vegetation.

~I have included a few great links below, so please check them out!



"You gather the idea that Mauritius was made first, and then heaven; and that heaven was copied after Mauritius." Mark Twain (1896)

Great link.
Common Ground 191.
Mauritius on Pinterest.
Dodo birds.
Maps and history.
Check out this trip adviser.  This would be a great place to visit.

Now that we have WWI behind us, lets talk Mussolini.........

which is the next lesson in Mystery of History Volume 4 (you can buy your own amazing copy here).

You have probably already heard of Mussolini as a ruler, political, socialist, radical, loose cannon, dictator, fascist, and the list goes on and on but I will stop here.




Factoids:

~Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was born in Northern Central (Forli) Italy July 29, 1883.  Due to financial hardships, he was forced to move to Switzerland around 1902.  He did return to Italy in 1904 and joined the Italian army during WWI.

~His father, Alessandro, was a blacksmith.  His mother, Rosa, was a teacher.

~Big surprise to hear that Mussolini was a very difficult child with a short temper.  He was constantly expelled from school for assaulting fellow students with a penknife.

~He had a sister named Edvidge and a brother named Arnaldo.

~Mussolini had five children with his wife, Rachele.

~He was the leader of the National Fascist Party from 1922 to 1943.  He spent a lot of his time with the local socialists.

~Mussolini was restless when he returned to Italy in 1904 so in  1909, he headed out to Austria.  He was only there for a short while as he was forcibly removed from Austria due to his critiques on militarism and nationalism.

~He returned again to Italy where he gained support from the National Fascist Party and was elected prime minister of Italy.  He was the youngest prime minister of Italy.  He was the 40th prime minister of Italy and served 20 years.

~Mussolini attacked Ethiopia in 1936 with a little support from, his buddy, Adolf Hitler (shocking-crazy helping crazy).  Mussolini and Hitler did not bond instantly, it took a while for that to happen but once it did, they form an unbreakable alliance.  Hitler had great admiration for Mussolini which seemed to go reciprocated.

~In 1943, by order of Hitler, Mussolini became the head of the Italian Social Republic of Northern Italy.

~Even though he was married to Rachele Mussolini, Mussolini had a mistress (shocking), Clara Pettacci, who was subsequently executed along side of Mussolini in 1945.  After their execution, both bodies were taken to the Piazzale Loreto (a suburban square in Milan) where an angry crowd gathered to abuse their bodies.  Rumor has it that Mussolini and Pettacci planned to escape to Switzerland prior to the execution but did not make it out in time.  Oh well!

~In 1946, the body of Mussolini was dug up by fascist supporters.  His body was, however, found four years later and hidden for more than 11 years.

~Mussolini was shot two days before Hitler committed suicide.  So the world was rid of two miserable dictators at the same time. There is nothing wrong with a little poetic justice in my opinion.

It's good to trust others but, not to do so is much better."  Mussolini

History Channel
Mussolini soft school
Biography

Next up, Joseph Stalin, Russian, communist, dictator.

Cecil the Lion's Brother, Jericho, Shot and Killed by Hunter in Zimbabwe

Has the whole world just gone mad?  It is not okay to live in a world where PEOPLE IDIOTS think they can just do whatever they want and get away with it.  It is not okay!!!  The full story here.

Early Civilizations--Africa

We are still making our way through the early civilizations, and we are now in Africa.  In general, I think everyone has heard a lot about Ancient Rome, Ancient Greece, and Ancient Egypt but not too much about Ancient Africa and yes, it is a thing.  So here is a little of what we learned.

Image of an Omo boy.

~It is believed that the human race is of African origin.  Skeletal remains that date back 195,000 years ago in Omo, Ethiopia (East Africa) are the oldest known skeletal remains to date.

~Africans used mummification over 9,000 years ago.

~Africa had many empires throughout history.

*The Kingdom of Ghana was under the rule of the first king, Dinga Cisse.  The word Ghana loosely translates to warrior king.  Ghana was rich in salt, gold, and iron.  In 1050 CE, the Ghana Empire began to feel pressure from the Muslims to convert to Islam but when the King of Ghana refused, they were constantly attacked.  Finally, the Ghana Empire fell apart and became part of the Mali Empire.

*The Mali Empire grew along the Niger River (Western Africa) and spread to the city of Gao to the Atlantic Ocean.  The Mali Empire was ruled by Sundiata Keita and was established in 1235 CE.  Mali flourished until around 1600 CE when it collapsed.

Songhai Empire
Image from Ducksters.

*The Songhai Empire was also located along the Niger River.  This empire lasted from 1464 to 1591.  Their leader was Sonni Ali, a prince of Songhai.  He was taken as a prisoner by the Mali Empire but he escaped in 1464.  Sonni Ali began to conquer all the nearby regions which included Timbuktu and Dejenne.

*The Kingdom of Kush was located in Northeastern Africa and south of Ancient Egypt.  The Kush Kingdom was located along the Nile River, the Blue Nile River, and the White Nile River.  This kingdom was established around 1070 BCE and lasted for about 1400 years.  The life span of the average person in the Kush Kingdom was between 20 and 25.  The priest had ultimate power, enough power to order the death of a king if they chose to do so.

*The Kingdom of Aksum, a.k.a. the Kingdom of Axum (Ancient Ethiopia).   This kingdom was located around the Red Sea in the Horn of Africa.  This kingdom lasted until around 940 CE when it was conquered by a queen from another region.

*The Kingdom of Zimbabwe took power around 1200 CE and lasted for more than 200 years.  This land in central Africa was covered with rainforests and grasslands.

click image for more

*Ancient Carthage, off the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, is present day Tunisia.

*Because of the diversity of all the people who settled in Ancient Africa, the religion, culture, art, and architecture was vastly different from place to place.

*It is believed that the earliest tools, the use of a tally system for counting, and how to start, use, and contain fire were all discoveries from Ancient Africa.


*We can also thank them for the process of tie dying

example of architecture-click image 

fabric.





Summing it up: Over the course of many, many years, Africa has seen the rise and the fall of several great civilizations and empires beginning with, of course, Ancient Egypt.  Check out my great links below.  See you at the next stop!

This is said to be a 20,000 year old
mathematical document.  Click for more.

More from my blog:
South Africa
Empires of West Africa
East Africa
Uganda 
Ancient Egypt
East Africa, Kenya
John Green-Mansa Musa and the spread of Islam in Africa.
Intro to African Art
Lesson plans from Mr. Donn
PBS

East Africa, Uganda.

East Africa.
~The territories:  Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia.

We have covered Tanzania and Kenya so now we will take a trip to Uganda.

~Uganda:

-Capital city is Kampala.

-There are over 30 million people living in Uganda.

-They speak Arabic, Swahili, Nilo-Saharan, Ganda, Luganda, and English.

-Their religions vary from Roman Catholic, Protestant, Muslim, and other beliefs.

-Uganda has a tropical climate with two seasons, the wet season and the dry season.

-Half of Uganda can survive on less than $1 a day.

-The main source of transportation is a bicycle.

-In Uganda, they love meat stew which can include a variety of animal parts such as the tongue, liver, intestines, and stomach.

-Uganda has a variety of birds such as pelicans, darters, flamingos,

image from wiki-Jacanas.

Jacanas, Turacos, Nightjars, Swallows, Bulbuls, Drongos, Jays, Starlings, and Siskins.

You can also find Mountain Gorillas (Gorilla gorilla beringei) in Uganda. Sadly, there are only 880 mountain gorillas left in the world.  They grow to be up to 6 feet tall and weigh in between 300 to 400 pounds.  These amazing gorillas can live to be up to 50 years old while in captivity.  They are shy, vegetarian, forest-loving creatures who have to watch out for humans, crocodiles, and leopards as they tend to prey upon the gorillas.


*****You have to watch this amazing, amazing Youtube video called Touched by a Mountain Gorilla.  You can help save these awesome creature with the Wildlife Conservation Society.

If you plan on visiting Uganda, you can check out their specials to Trek Uganda here.  October through November 2014.

East Africa, Kenya.

image from the web

~The territories:  Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia.

Image from Pinterest.

~Kenya:

-Current president is Uhuru Kenyatta (2013)

-The capitol is Nairobi.

-Around 39 million people call Kenya home.

Blue Monkey-Kenya

-Kenya has only two seasons, the rainy season and the dry season.

-It is believed by paleontologists that the first inhabitants arrived in Kenya around 2 million years ago.

-Kenya is located on the equator.

-English and Swahili are the official languages of Kenya.

-You can find a lot of buffaloes, leopards, rhinoceroses, elephants, and lions in Kenya.

-Half of Kenya lives in poverty.

white storks-Martin Harvey

-Many Olympic long distance running champions hail from Kenya.

-In 1963, Kenya declared independence
from the United Kingdom.

Golden Jackal

Another very interesting fact is that your good buddy and mine, President Barack Obama's father is from Kenya.

(Swahili) shukrani kwa ajili ya kuacha kwa, Ijayo kuacha, uganda.-Thanks for stopping by next stop is Uganda.

Territories of East Africa. First stop, Tanzania.

East Africa, aka the last true Eden.  I am breaking apart East Africa because there is a lot going on there.

~The territories:  Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia.

The flag: Green is for the natural resources.
Yellow for mineral deposits.
Black for the skin color of the people.
Blue for the water.
Their flag was designed for unity and togetherness for people.


 ~Tanzania:

image from the web

-The world's earliest human skull was found in Tanzania.
-Tanzania is a little larger than California doubled.
-The president of Tanzania is Jakaya Kikwete.
-In Tanzania alone there are 120 languages.

Coconut crab.

-Coconut crabs-the largest crabs in the world-can be found in Tanzania.
-The most expensive hardwood tree in the world, the Mpingo tree (African blackwood), is found in Tanzania.
-Mt. Kilimanjaro is in Tanzania and is over 19,000 feet above sea level.  This is the largest mountain in Africa.

Grey Crowned Crane in Tanzania.

Jacksons Hartebeest and Burchells zebras.

Next stop is Kenya.